Chapter 117 Timing of Entry
【Guokun Group Conference Room】
The atmosphere around the huge circular conference table was solemn, and a PPT showing the deadlock in the east city renovation project was being displayed on the projection screen.
The deputy general manager in charge of the project was sweating profusely, and his report was particularly clear in the conference room where you could hear a pin drop.
"This is the situation. The 'nail households,' led by the ones at the entrance of Third Alley, are demanding compensation far beyond our budget and standards. Even more problematic, I don't know who gave them the idea to bring up our layoffs from over a decade ago. After all..."
He paused, glancing at Meng Yanchen, who had a serious expression on his face. "In that incident, one of our employees died afterwards. Now public opinion is swamped, with everyone posting #GuokunEatingHumanSlaughterBun#."
The executive reporting the report lowered his voice until it was almost a mumble.
The conference room was dead silent, and everyone was stealing glances at Meng Yanchen, who was sitting at the head of the table.
Meng Yanchen gently placed the documents in his hand on the table and scanned the entire room with a steady gaze.
"The amount of compensation is not the core issue,"
He spoke, his voice steady and calm, carrying an aura that could instantly suppress any impetuousness. "The essence of the problem is a breakdown of trust. Public opinion has shifted from the so-called 'astronomical compensation' for those households to the old case from over a decade ago."
He raised his hand, and the red dot of the remote control pen landed precisely on a peak in the public opinion analysis chart.
"Guo Kun is cold-blooded. He forced his old employees to death, and now he's trying to kill his old neighbors. Once this narrative takes hold, even if we meet all of their demands, it will only be interpreted as 'guilty conscience' and 'paying them off,' which will lead to a complete loss in public opinion and lay landmines for all future projects."
"Eighteen years ago, layoffs led to the deaths of displaced employees. Public opinion isn't clear about this, but are those present here also not aware of it? The Public Relations Department should take the lead, with the Legal Department cooperating. We can't throw all the dirty water on Guo Kun."
He paused, tapped his fingertips on the table, and finally looked at the project leader.
"Go down there in person. Stop negotiating prices from across the office. Go among the residents, listen to their real concerns and needs, and get to the root of the problem, rather than dwelling on numbers."
"at last,"
He glanced at everyone present. "This is old news. The media didn't report it back then. How do people know about it now? Find out who's behind it."
Meng Yanchen stood up and buttoned up his suit.
"The meeting is adjourned."
【Star Road】
Fan Shengmei sat behind her desk. The laptop screen in front of her was showing a news push about the unrest at the Guokun project. The accompanying picture showed a chaotic scene of residents holding banners in protest, and the headline was particularly eye-catching.
Her fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, and her eyes quickly scanned the content of the article, especially lingering on words like "old case", "employee death", and "cold-blooded capitalist".
Suddenly, she stopped tapping the table.
She suddenly raised her head and looked at Andy who was reviewing the contract opposite her, and a light flashed in her eyes.
"Andy,"
Her eyes were blazing. "It's possible. The opportunity to enter that I've been waiting for has come."
Without waiting for Andy's response, she grabbed the car keys and handbag on the table and walked out quickly.
"I'm going to Guokun."
Guokun President's Office
Qin Yu knocked on the door gently and whispered,
"Mr. Meng, Miss Fan is here."
Meng Yanchen immediately put down the documents in his hand, looked up and said,
"Let her in."
Fan Shengmei walked in quickly, Meng Yanchen walked around the desk to greet her, and held her hand.
"Why are you here?"
"I watched the news." Fan Shengmei said with concern.
Meng Yanchen chuckled and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, trying to comfort her.
"Is this the only thing that scares you so much? It's okay, I can handle it."
"Meng Yanchen,"
Fan Shengmei held his hand in return, her eyes firm, "I'll help you. Trust me."
She spoke quickly and clearly, "I've worked in HR for ten years, and I'm best at handling disputes and manipulative situations like this. Tell me in detail about the layoffs that happened that year, and I can even assist the public relations department in dealing with those stubborn clients."
She paused and explained, "Guokun is a large, formal group. There are some things you can't do directly, and you have to be polite. But I can go. There are some things that are more convenient for me to say."
"no!"
Meng Yanchen flatly refused. "If a conflict breaks out during the negotiations, emotions will get out of control and we won't know what will happen. It's too dangerous."
He slowed his tone and said, "Be good and don't worry. We have experience with this kind of problem."
Fan Shengmei suddenly turned serious, staring at him intently, and threw out a killer move.
"Meng Yanchen, do you still want me to come in? This is my time to show off."
Meng Yanchen was obviously stunned. This sentence accurately hit his deepest desire.
Fan Shengmei struck while the iron was hot, "In addition to dealing with these, I can also help Guokun's social reputation improve in a short period of time."
Meng Yanchen was silent for a moment, and finally gave in.
"Then you can only assist. Let Guokun's people do the main work."
He pulled her to sit on the sofa and told her the whole story of what happened that year.
"In fact, the employee who died after being fired as mentioned in the news was Song Yan's father."
Fan Shengmei was very surprised. She didn't expect it to be such a coincidence.
"When the layoffs were made, Song Yan's father wasn't originally on the list. He led the riot, demanding more than 70,000 yuan in compensation for each laid-off employee. What did 70,000 yuan mean in the 1990s?"
Meng Yanchen said, "Ms. Fu insisted on compensation only according to the standard higher than the labor contract."
Fan Shengmei frowned after listening. "It sounds like it was handled without any problems. It's not that the Meng family didn't compensate, it's that they didn't pay as much as they asked for. It's a bit similar to this incident."
Meng Yanchen continued, "Then, Song Yan's father lost his job, and his wife divorced him. He drank all day and eventually died in an accident."
Fan Shengmei opened her mouth slightly in shock, "If you don't have a job, you can find one. This is..."
She quickly returned to calm, analytical mode. "No company wants to keep an employee who leads a riot and goes against the leadership. Firing him is fine. After you fire him, whatever happens to him next will have nothing to do with you."
Meng Yanchen stroked her shoulders, his tone somewhat helpless.
"But the public doesn't know the truth. They like to piece things together and create a story they like to hear."
Fan Shengmei subconsciously responded, "So this is a common human problem. We only listen to what we like."
Meng Yanchen paused, looked at her, reached out and pinched the tip of her nose.
"Who are you talking about?"
Fan Shengmei blinked, "Did someone hear it?"
She immediately returned to the point, "The public must know the truth about this matter. It's fine if it hasn't been exposed, but if it has, Guo Kun can't be made to bear the blame."
"How do you prove it?"
Meng Yanchen raised his eyebrows, "Should we let Song Yan come out and prove it himself?"
Fan Shengmei thought for a moment and said, "Can we try?"
Meng Yanchen frowned, "You want to go find him?"
"What time is it now? You're still jealous."
Fan Shengmei has a clear vision: "We must defeat them one by one. First, we will suppress public opinion, and then we can deal with the stubborn residents. There will be absolutely no problem."
"Guo Kun will sue the media, issue a statement, send a lawyer's letter. There are many ways. There is no need to go to him."
Fan Shengmei hugged his neck and insisted,
"But the public will think that's the power of capital and it's not convincing enough."
"If they don't believe the lawyer's letter, will they believe Song Yan?"
Meng Yanchen was helpless. "If they don't believe it, they won't believe it even if Song Yan comes forward. They will just say that Song Yan accepted Guo Kun's money."
"That's why we have to take a two-pronged approach. Besides, Song Yan's identity and profession itself carry a certain degree of credibility."
Meng Yanchen couldn't resist her, and his face was unhappy, but he also gave in.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
"Don't go,"
Fan Shengmei immediately rejected the idea, "It would be difficult to discuss the matter if you went."
Meng Yanchen's face darkened.
Fan Shengmei immediately promised, "I promise, I won't be abducted, and I will come back as soon as I finish my business."
She leaned close to his ear and lowered her voice, "You stayed in the company to catch the traitor. The news was suppressed so tightly, how could it suddenly break out? There must be someone colluding with you."
After saying that, she quickly kissed him on the lips, picked up her bag and turned to leave.
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